Now that it is mid-November Christmas is in full swing! Social media is littered with pictures of family trees and the neighbours are putting up lights-

LETS GET READY TO RUUUUMMMMBBBLLLLEEEEEEE

In the left corner: Merry Christmas

In the right corner: Happy Holidays

MERRY CHRISTMAS VS HAPPY HOLIDAYS annual face off.
Some narrow-minded people get caught up with this insane argument that Christmas is superior than every other holiday in December and begin the constant complaining about their refusal to be politically correct and that it is some big hoopla to tell someone “Happy Holidays.”

It is just tradition beating us in the heads and people forgetting to realize that there are also over a dozen other days to be celebrated in the month of December other than Christmas Day. It’s ironic how many people who celebrate Christmas are also the ones that trample their neighbours on Black Friday.

Personally, I love Christmas. I love hanging out with my family. My son’s birthday is Christmas Eve, and the whole month is filled with baked goods. Also, after New Years winter tends to be too cold and stretched out to enjoy wholeheartedly. That being said I am not forcing anyone to comply with my celebrations and part of me feels guilty even making my son participate in the insanity. I wish everyone a Happy Holidays.

Majority of Canadians relate the December break directly to the Christmas holiday, an online poll by Angus Reid Global conducted last year found that over 80% of Canadians feel the holiday is far too commercial and less than a third actually attend a religious service.

We are more diverse than ever. We have access to all of this information readily at our fingertips, yet we argue over semantics like Happy Holidays. It should come down to common sense. If you know someone celebrates Christmas, feel free to wish them a merry one, but if they obviously celebrate another day, or maybe not one at all, wish them a Happy Holiday or mix it up a bit with a Seasons Greetings.

Can you imagine!? Someone walking up to you in a grocery store with a huge smile telling you “Seasons Greetings?” How unforgivable. How dare they wish cheer upon you without spouting some possible offensive and overused saying.

That is the reason that stores use Happy Holidays and schools don’t focus on Christmas anymore. They want everyone to feel included, regardless of their beliefs.

End this #WarOnChristmas insanity. There is no war on any specific holiday, if anything it is a war on narrow mindedness and exclusion. In the iconic words of John Lennon, “War is over if you want it.”

It seems like the second Halloween is over the commercial world is throwing up Christmas on everyone, but many people forget that there is an actual <em><strong>important and meaningful</strong> </em>holiday in between them. Every year I see fewer people supporting the poppy, something that in light of recent event should spark support easily.

Remembrance day is the time where we as the free people of Canada can give respect and properly thank the who have fought for our freedom.

This year the NDP is pushing forward a bill that will make Remembrance Day a national statutory holiday. Currently six provinces and three territories have November 11th as a paid holiday, except Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia don’t recognize it as one.

Remembrance Day celebrations will be on the forefront, as it falls only a few weeks after two attacks on soldiers in Ottawa, including the death of soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was only a young 24, as he stood guard of the War Memorial. Attacks like these are hard for Canadians because that type of action rarely happens here.

Some Americans, such as <em>The View </em>host Rosie O’Donnell, have spoken out that the amount of media coverage and outcry over the Ottawa shootings is outrageous and hyperbolic, because “86 people a day are killed in America with guns, and you know what? That is terrorism here,” according to O’Donnell.

These types of statements do nothing for anybody, and the fact that Americans can live with this as their day-to-day living only makes it easier to see thy they constantly try to justify their right to bare arms and the constant conflicts overseas. Lets make a vow to see all violence for what it really is no matter the ethnicity behind it and stop constantly naming people terrorists when we ourselves commit the same unneeded acts.

Regardless, Remembrance day, Veterans Day, whatever you call it in whatever country you celebrate it, it all comes down to putting down the electronics, putting problems on the back burner, taking those two minutes of silence and remembering those who gave their lives for your freedom.

So keep Christmas at bay for another couple weeks. Refrain from the consumer Hallmark holiday and mark November 11th with national pride, because your house might just get egged if you put up you Christmas decorations this week. Seriously, everyone, despite their nationality, should be sporting a poppy for the next couple weeks, <strong>at least. </strong>

Then we can get on to the whole <em>whose festive celebrations are better </em>debate that goes along with the numerous religious holidays in December.